SQL Server Performance: derived table vs. common table expression (CTE)

Question

Is there any performance gain using a CTE over a derived table?

Answer 1

I've used CTEs a lot and it does actually appear to run faster in some scenarios. The server was fairly well loaded, the variation in times on runs was pretty significant, and I can't believe the execution plan was that different, but it still seemed like the ones with the CTE performed better.